Dab, Common – Iceland

Common Dab is a small species of flatfish that grows fast and becomes sexually mature within four years. Dab is found on shallow, sandy bottoms throughout the Northeast Atlantic, and in Iceland they are found all around the country.

Common Dab is mostly caught with Danish seines in Icelandic waters, which cause moderate damage to the seafloor. In Iceland, catches peaked at 8,000 tons in the mid 1990s but have declined sharply over the past decade to under 1,000 tons. Dab populations are depleted and do not appear to be recovering. There is little information available on bycatch in this fishery.